Last year Coronado launched the PST solar telescope. At the moment the first reports and images are coming available on the internet. If you are interested in this 500 dollar (or 800 Euro!) solar scope with a < 1 Angstrom H-Alpha filter take a look at the following links.

Yesterday TAL launched its newest model, the TAL 250K. The 10-inch Klevtzov Cassegrain has a focal ratio of f/ 8.5 and the OTA weighs about 16 Kilograms. The telescope is equiped with a 2 inch focusser and an 8x50 finderscope. The complete telescope will cost about 2600 Euros and the OTA will prbably be priced between 2250 and 2300 Euros. For more information follow this link to the official TAL site.

Thanks to Ton Baten, a fellow lunar observer from the Netherlands I’ve found a link to an online paper about Geologic History of the Moon by Don Wilhelms. This is great news for all lunatics because this paper, which is considered as one of the most important publications on lunar geology, is out of print and only available online. The book is divided into 18 PDF files. Follow this link and start downloading!. Thanks again Ton!

If you are looking for a case to store your eyepieces, filters, camera and all other accessories you should consider a Pelicase with soft-padded dividers. On the image below you see the Pelicase 1504. For more detailed information on all the models go to the website of Pelican Cases. The cases are very sturdy. They keep your equipment dust-free. You can arrange the soft padded dividers any way you like. They are ideal for transporting your equipment in your car, airplane or train.

Today I added a short observing report with a big digital image of a nine-day-old Moon to the Solar Sytem section on my website. The image was shot with the Coolpix 4500 mounted on a 10-inch Synta skywatcher Follow this link to read the full story.

Edmond Halley discovered M 13 in 1714. It is one of the finest globular clusters of the northern celestial hemisphere you can observe from your own backyard. M13 has a visual diameter of 14’ and a visual magnitude of 5.7. The cluster lies at a ..... follow this link to read the full story.

Last night I tried to capture the Clavius and Copernicus region with the TAL 200K and the Coolpix 4500. I used a 10mm eyepiece ( 200x ) and 3x optical zoom to shoot the images below. I also used the Baader IR/UV blocker and Contrast Booster. The first image is a close-up of the Clavius area, the second is Copernicus and it’s surroundings. The orientation is at it looks through the telescope. I did some unsharp masking on both images.